Memoirs of an Invisible Man

 



Director - John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York)
Starring - Chevy Chase (Nothing but Trouble, Fletch), Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill Vol. 1, Zombie Night), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, In the Mouth of Madness)
Release Date - 1992
Genre - Comedy/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Women want him for his wit.  The C.I.A. want him for his body.  All Nick wants is his molecules back"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     John Carpenter is a living legend not only in the world of horror but cinema altogether.  His films have went on to gain a cult following and many are considered classic by not just genre fans but movie lovers in general.  He has churned out fan favorites like Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, and In the Mouth of Madness.  In 1992 Carpenter worked with comedy legend Chevy Chase on the sci-fi comedy film Memoirs of an Invisible Man.  This is one of those films that I had never heard of before until I received the press release for Scream Factory's blu release.  I love Carpenter and Chevy Chase was a huge part of my childhood so I couldn't wait to check this one out.  Thank you Scream Factory for sending this one my way. 
     The film follows Nick Halloway (Chase) who is in a spa when a science lab in the same building malfunctions and explodes turning him invisible.  The C.I.A. investigates the explosion and discovers that Nick is invisible.  Agent Dafiv Jenkins (Neill) wants Nick and sees him as an invaluable asset to the agency but Nick refuses to cooperate and a manhunt for an invisible man is underway.

     I went into this one with no idea as to what to expect.  This is a Scream Factory release but the film just didn't look like it was a title fit for the Scream aside from being directed by John Carpenter.    This sci-fi comedy is one of those  films I would have been obsessed with during the age of VHS.  I loved the story and the cast is amazing.  The cast in this one is fantastic.  As I stated earlier, I am a huge fan of Chevy Chase.  I know he is considered an asshole by those he has worked with but he has appeared in some of my favorite films and has delivered some unforgettable performances.  I loved his character and he did a fantastic job with it.  The same can be said about Sam Neill.  He's another actor that would rule my childhood with the 1993 film Jurassic Park.  He's one of the most underrated actors there is and he delivers a phenomenal performance here.  The supporting cast is great as well but I do have to say that I was never sold on Daryl Hanna.  Her character is extremely generic and she does very little to make her stand out.  The story for this one is a pretty standard story that we have seen before but with the invisible man angle applied.  The late 70s and 80s was full of films where someone has uncovered some special ability, serum, invention, and had to run from some sort of mysterious government agency for fear of it falling into the wrong hands.  This film mostly follows that formula except the protagonist just wants to be cured.  This was a fun take on an old story and it works.  Finally, if you want some blood and gore then you wont find it here.  There is some solid visual effects and classic camera tricks but that's the extent of it.  Overall, Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a fun and considerably odd film from a master of horror.  The movie has some laughs and an amazing cast.  I highly recommend checking out this release from Scream Factory.